You didn't expect this, did you? I've time-traveled again!

Just as she was about to ask further questions, Kazuma Sato ran back from outside.

"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened—!"

He rushed in, and almost tripped and fell because he didn't notice the protrusions on the stone slabs under his feet.

This is enough to show just how panicked he was.

"You idiot Kazuma! I never see you again, where have you been all this time?!"

To be honest, Aqua was unaware that Kazuma Sato had temporarily joined another team, abandoning them for someone else.

If she finds out, she'll definitely make a huge scene again.

"Let's put that aside for now. Didn't you hear the village announcement?"

Sato Kazuma said anxiously, "Quick, hurry up and meet at the village entrance!"

"W-What happened...what happened?!"

Aqua was somewhat frightened by his tone and couldn't help but feel afraid as well.

"Could it be...could it be that Kazuma has gotten into serious trouble and some powerful adventurer has come knocking on our door, demanding a final battle at the village entrance? So, Kazuma, you've come back to get reinforcements?"

Sometimes, you have to admire the thought processes of people with intellectual disabilities.

It always surprises you, giving you endless delights.

You're something else, Aqua!

"How could that be?! You brainless, idiotic goddess!!!"

Sure enough, Kazuma Sato instantly transformed into a roaring emperor, retorting without any mercy: "I'm a polite and kind man, how could I possibly get into a conflict with someone else!"

Where is this guy's supposedly polite and kind attitude?

There's a limit to how shameless you can be, Sato-kun!

Aqua wanted to retort, but she swallowed her words immediately because what Kazuma Sato said was truly surprising.

"He's one of the Demon King's officers, the Headless Knight!"

Kazuma Sato quickly explained the reason.

"I don't know why, but that guy was blocking the village entrance and not letting anyone out. He was saying things like, 'I'll make you pay,' 'You just wait,' and 'I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget,' which were really unsettling."

"All the adventurers in the village have gone, so let's hurry and join them!"

Kazuma Sato urged everyone to get moving.

"A high-ranking officer in the Demon King's army?!"

Aqua couldn't sit still when she heard about the Demon King's army; she hadn't forgotten the information she'd heard from Wiz a few days ago.

To enter the Demon King's castle, you must eliminate all the Demon King's army's officers.

Perfect timing! This headless horseman has come to our doorstep; how could we refuse?

The opportunity to weaken the Demon King's army is right in front of us!

"Martial Arts!"

Aqua turned to look at Suoh Takeshi, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Alright, as the first step for the [Hero] team to make a name for themselves in the world, let's go and meet that headless knight!"

As the squad leader, Zhou Fangwu gave orders, urging everyone to quickly get into order.

"Sato-kun, you're the fastest, so you go to the village entrance first to meet up with the other adventurers, and then find out why the headless horseman came here!"

"learn!"

Kazuma Sato turned and ran, disappearing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

"Aqua, Megumin, you two set off immediately as well!"

If any adventurers are injured or killed, ask Aqua to heal them; if the Headless Horseman tries to storm the town, ask Megumin to stop him with an explosion spell!

"Yes!"

"OK!"

After thinking about it for a moment and feeling it wasn't a safe option, she added, "Huihui, you can use [that] if necessary!"

"understand!"

Megumin followed Aqua and turned to leave. After receiving permission from Suoh Takeru, her aura instantly transformed, becoming incredibly high-spirited and passionate.

“Darkness, I will take your giant shield.”

"No, no need, I can do it myself..."

"Time is of the essence, so let's not make excuses anymore! Right now, sharing the burden is the wisest choice!"

Darkness was a heavily armored crusader, her armor was extremely bulky, not to mention the 200kg giant shield she carried on her back.

In order to share her weight and speed things up, Suoh Takeshi had to help.

After all, the other three were all weak and fragile characters with virtually no stamina.

"quick!"

"Okay, okay!"

Suoh Takeshi took the lead and ran out, with Darkness hurriedly following behind.

Before long, the team members had all gathered at the village entrance.

"Is that the Headless Horseman...?"

headless rider

Let's use it as a representative for now.

Its appearance is very similar to the legendary headless horseman, except that it has a head, while the horse's head is missing, which is very strange.

That terrifying sense of oppression, that evil magic that seems to descend from the abyss, is a declaration to people that it is a monster that symbolizes death and brings despair!

The moment Suoh Takeshi saw it, he knew it was him.

—It is a formidable foe!

I was such a fool to think it wasn't strong!

Standing in front of the main gate was a man dressed in a black robe, his face flushed with sweat. He looked at the man with a stern expression, his eyes wide with disbelief. He seemed to be a man of few words, his expression serene and composed.

"Is everyone here? Let me introduce myself again! I'm one of the officers in the Demon King's army, and I recently moved to a nearby castle..."

It slowly began to speak, revealing its origins, and as it finished, its head began to tremble slightly.

"Every single time, every single day! Who is that crazy, idiotic idiot who comes to my castle every single day to unleash explosive magic?!"

The headless horseman appeared to be extremely angry, and his headless mount also neighed and howled to vent its dissatisfaction on behalf of its master.

However, its words did enlighten Suoh Takeshi.

Explosion magic?

"Speaking of explosion magic..."

"Hiss, explosion magic is..."

"Yes, she's the one who can use explosion magic..."

The adventurers began to whisper among themselves.

A moment later, Suoh Takeru followed the gazes of the other adventurers and turned to Megumin, who was standing to the side.

He initially wanted to deny it, but after seeing Huihui sweating profusely, Suoh Takeshi became certain of his suspicions.

Absolutely right, you are the culprit!

That's not right!

Didn't you go to train with Darkness? Why did you still provoke the Headless Horseman?

After using the Explosion spell, the user will become completely weak and will need someone to watch over them.

In that case, you're the only accomplice...

He then shifted his gaze to Darkness, staring at her until her face flushed.

“Darkness, you…”

"That's not it! Huihui said that nothing less than a big and thick thing can satisfy her, so that's why...!"

Hey, shut up!

Don't say such seriously discriminatory things while your face is flushed!

It turned out to be the case.

Everything makes sense now.

No wonder they hesitated and couldn't answer when asked why they came back so early.

It turned out that after being discovered by the Headless Horseman and coming to their door, they were so frightened that they hid away.

"Martial arts..."

Huihui lowered her head, her face pale, and tightly gripped Zhou Fangwu's hand.

Her hands were a little cold and trembling.

Huihui was very scared, and Suoh Takeshi could sense it.

He comforted her, saying, "It's okay, Huihui, you didn't do anything wrong."

"…real?"

"Ah! It's the Demon King's army, what's wrong with using explosive magic on it?"

"Ah."

After being comforted, Huihui forced a stiff smile onto her pale face.

Then he let go of her hand and made a move to walk out.

She wanted to bear the consequences alone.